This invention relates to self attaching ear muffs, and more particularly to such muffs that include a snappable actuating member for snappably engaging the muffs with the ears of the wearer.
Snappable self-attaching ear muffs have heretofore been known, illustrative of which are those proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,493 granted to Julius Greenberg Dec. 3, 1963. Other related muffs have been set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,843 and 4,872,219 granted to Karen Duncan, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,467 granted to Herman E. Brinkley. Each of these appears to offer advantages over other types.
The snappable self-attaching ear muffs proposed in Greenberg Patent 3,112,493 appear particularly attractive in that they embody a snapping feature that facilitates attachment/detachment to and from the ear. Others embody symmetry about a transverse, or minor, axis, thus rendering them suitable for wearing on either ear.
While the proposals of the prior art appear to offer attractive features, there have been certain drawbacks. Thus, for example, in the Greenberg patent it is proposed that end portions of the core be pulled towards each other and maintained in tension by a flexible, inelastic tape. This requires expensive manufacturing steps and presents quality control problems in terms of uniform product performance.